A Kenyan court on Monday 2 November 2026 fined former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu for money laundering. The fine is 21 million Kenyan shillings (US$162,000 at 129.95 per US$1 on 4 November), or 13 years in jail in default.
Waititu, who once governed the county just north of Nairobi, is already serving a 12-year sentence for fraud over a county road contract. The courts ordered the new terms to run concurrently, meaning at the same time as the old ones.
What the Court Ordered
Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa passed the sentences at the Anti-Corruption Court in the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi. He set the fines count by count: 10 million shillings (US$77,000), 6 million (US$46,000) and 5 million (US$38,000).
The three counts cover the laundering of 12.4 million, 7.2 million and 6 million shillings, about US$197,000 in all. The default prison terms are five, four and four years, which add up to 13 years.
His wife, Susan Wangari, was fined 2 million shillings (US$15,400), or two years in default, on one count. Two company directors and their firms also received fines, and the companies must pay within 14 days.
How the Case Began
The case grew out of a 588.7 million shilling (US$4.5 million) road contract that Kiambu County gave to Testimony Enterprises Limited in 2017/18. A court convicted Waititu of fraud-related offences over that deal in February 2025 and gave him 12 years.
On Wednesday 14 October 2026 the High Court upheld those convictions and ordered him back into custody. Justice Rose Ougo also overturned an earlier acquittal on three money-laundering counts and sent the sentencing to the magistrate.
At a hearing on Tuesday 27 October, Waititu apologised to the court and asked for a lighter sentence as a first offender. After the ruling on 2 November, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission welcomed the sentences.
File photo. The Nairobi skyline seen across Uhuru Park, with the KICC tower at centre, undated. Photo: DesiBoy101, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.In Plain English, Who Is Who
Ferdinand Waititu is a former governor of Kiambu County, a densely populated area just north of Nairobi. Governors are the elected heads of Kenya’s 47 counties and control large local budgets.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, or EACC, is the state agency that investigates graft and tries to recover stolen assets. The Anti-Corruption Court is the special court division that hears such cases.
A default term is prison time that applies only if the fine is not paid. Concurrent terms run at the same time instead of one after another.
What It Means for You
Kenya is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a base for US diplomacy and security work in East Africa. Convictions of senior politicians show whether its courts can hold powerful people to account.
Investors and aid donors watch corruption cases because graft raises costs for companies and public projects. The EACC has been active lately, for example when it froze assets in a lands case.
Waititu is not the only former governor in court. Okoth Obado, who governed Migori County, awaits sentence for murder on Friday 27 November 2026.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how much extra prison time Waititu will serve, because the new terms run alongside his 12-year sentence. No official figure for any added time has been published.
It is not yet public whether he will pay the fine. Neither he nor his lawyers have said whether they will appeal the new convictions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was Ferdinand Waititu fined for?
He was fined for money laundering on three counts linked to a county road contract. The total fine is 21 million Kenyan shillings (about US$162,000), or 13 years in prison in default.
Will Ferdinand Waititu serve 13 more years?
Not necessarily, because the 13 years apply only if he does not pay the fine. The courts also ordered the new terms to run alongside his existing 12-year sentence.
Why is Waititu already in prison?
He was convicted in February 2025 of fraud-related offences over a 588.7 million shilling road contract in Kiambu County. The High Court upheld the convictions on 14 October 2026.
Who is Waititu?
Ferdinand Waititu is a former governor of Kiambu County, just north of Nairobi. Kenya’s counties are run by elected governors who control large budgets.
Sources: Milimani Anti-Corruption Court, sentencing in the Waititu money-laundering case, 2 Nov 2026; High Court of Kenya, judgment of Justice Rose Ougo on the Waititu appeals, 14 Oct 2026; Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Kenya, 2 Nov 2026; Central Bank of Kenya, exchange rate of 129.95 shillings per US$1, 4 Nov 2026.
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